Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses! POP-UP Scam

What is Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!?

Identical to Your System Is Heavily Damaged By (4) Virus and Your WINDOWS 10 is infected with (3) Viruses!, "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!" is a fake error message displayed by malicious sites.

According to our research, many users are redirected to these sites by intrusive ads (displayed by other dubious sites) or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that infiltrate systems without permission. Causing redirects is not the only downside of PUPs.

Most deliver intrusive advertisements, gather sensitive information, and misuse system resources to run unwanted processes.

The "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!" error claims that the system is infected with a number of viruses and encourages users to immediately download an anti-virus suite. This error message is fake and a scam. Its only purpose is to promote fake anti-virus programs.

After downloading, installing, and running a system scan with the promoted program, users are prompted with an even a longer list of infections and potential threats. The application states that listed malware must be eliminated, however, since its 'free version' is unable to do so, users are encouraged to purchase the 'full version'.

Be aware that, as with "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!", these programs display a fake list of computer infections. Criminals promote these applications to trick users into purchasing full versions that are not required - your system is likely to be perfectly optimized and virus-free. Criminals generate revenue by abusing users' trust.

The 'full version' of this promoted anti-virus tool will simply clean the list. In fact, these programs do not prevent any computer infections or optimize the system - they are useless for regular users. For these reasons, ignore "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!".

If you have already downloaded and installed promoted program(s), immediately remove them and certainly do NOT pay for the full versions. To remove "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!", simply close the website, however, note that some sites employ scripts that prevent users from closing browsing tabs/windows.

In these cases, terminate the browser via Task Manager or simply restart the system. After re-running the browser, do not restore previous session, otherwise you will re-open the malicious sites.

Potentially unwanted programs deliver coupon, banner, pop-up, and other ads using various tools (e.g., "virtual layer") that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, intrusive ads often conceal underlying content, thereby diminishing the web browsing experience.

In addition, they can lead to malicious sites or even run scripts that download and install malware. Therefore, even a single accidental click can result in high-risk computer infections. Another important issue is information tracking. PUPs record information such as IP addresses, keystrokes, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, geo-locations, and so on.

The collected data typically includes personal details that are shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). These people misuse private information to generate revenue. Therefore, the presence of data-tracking apps can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

Some PUPs are also known to mine cryptocurrencies or run other unwanted processes in the background. These programs essentially misuse resources without permission, significantly reducing overall system performance. All potentially unwanted programs must be eliminated immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your Windows Computer is Infected With (4) Viruses!" virus
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of one's computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

The aforementioned scam errors are not the only ones that share similarities with "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!" In fact, there are dozens of others that are virtually identical. For example, Windows Defender Security Center, Something Went Wrong With Your Internet Service, Microsoft Edge Critical ERROR, and so on.

Unlike "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!", most fake errors do not promote PUPs. They attempt to trick unsuspecting users into calling fake tech support and paying for unnecessary assistance.

Potentially unwanted programs are often very similar - they claim to enhance web browsing experience, but deliver no real value for regular users, since their only purpose is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than enabling functions promised, PUPs pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did potentially unwanted programs install on my computer?

As mentioned above, PUPs often infiltrate systems without permission, since developers promote them using "bundling" and intrusive advertising methods. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software/apps.

Developers hide "bundled" apps within "Custom/Advanced" settings or other sections of the download/installation processes. Many users rush these procedures and skip steps. In addition, they click advertisements without understanding the possible consequences. In doing so, they expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two main reasons for computer infections: 1) careless behavior, and; 2) lack of knowledge. The key to safety is caution. To prevent system infiltration by PUPs, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and especially when downloading/installing software.

Be aware that intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, since criminals invest many resources into their design, however, they often lead to gambling, adult dating, pornography, survey, and other dubious sites. If you encounter these redirects, immediately remove all dubious applications and browser plug-ins.

Remember also to select "Custom/Advanced" settings, carefully analyze each step, and opt-out of all additionally-included programs.

We advise you to download your apps from official sources only, using direct download links (unofficial downloaders/installers are typically monetized using the "bundling" method). Having a legitimate anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running is also paramount.

The appearance of "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!" pop-up (GIF):

Text presented on initial "" pop-up:

Your Windows Computer is Infected With (4) Viruses!

Your Windows Computer is Infected With (4) Viruses!
Your device is infected with (4) Viruses. The pre-scan found possible traces of (3) malware and (1) phishing/spyware. Your system is at risk of irreversible damage - Immediate removal advised!
Scanning and cleaning is advised to prevent further system damage, loss of personal data, photos and passwords.
Traces of (1) Phishing/Spyware has been found on your computer. Personal and banking information may at risk.

Text presented after the fake system scan:

DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Windows is possibly damaged! (33.2%)
Please download the antivirus to protect your PC from viruses.
Up to 11 similar viruses are usually found on same PCs.
Virus Name: Ransomware 2.0; Trojan.Win32.SendIP.15
Risk: HIGH
Infected Files: /C:\WINDOWS\System32\migration\ADJF9009de.@*fg\windows.exe;/ C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\spoclsv.exe

At time of research, "Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses!" promoted the WinTonic PUP:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is "Your Windows Computer is Infected With (4) Viruses!" virus?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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